Battery terminal connector



Nov. 20, 1951 0. H. THOMAS ET AL 2,575,644

BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed Dec. 19, 1946 INVENTORS. ORR/N moms & P055 7 5L ro/v THE/E Arrow 5y posed essentially of two jaws or halves I and 2, which are split on both sides of center and, when drawn together, form an adjustable clamp. Each of the jaws I and 2 has formed in its opposing face a semi-circular tapering recess 3, corresponding to the taper of a battery post (not' shown) so that when joined together they define a cylindrical-shaped tapered socket conforming to the shape of the post and making a snug fit therewith.

It will be noted that the halves l and 2 are complementary, and are designed to have their opposing faces 4 and 5 on one side of center engage each other. This arrangement affords a pivotal point or surface for the jaw halves when a binding pressure is applied to secure the connector to the battery post, as hereinafter more fully described. The opposing faces 6 and "I do not meet and, therefore, form a gap which permits relative movement of said faces towards each other when the jaws I and 2 are tightened.

The jaw 2 may constitute the cable side of the connector, in which event it is provided with a hub 8 having a central recess adapted to receive the end of a cable 9, which may be secured within said hub in any suitable manner as by welding or the like.

The clamping jaws or halves I and 2 may be composed of any suitable soft or pliable, noncorrosive alloy or metal commonly used for battery terminal connectors. In practice, it is the pliability of the metal that is relied upon to permit the bending of the connector jaws about or around the battery post in order to accommodate battery posts differing in diameter sizes. However, it is easy to exceed the elastic limit of such metals and the jaws become set or deformed so that in removing the connector from the battery post, it is necessary to use a screw driver or similar tool to pry the jaws apart. Frequently, this results in permanent damage to the battery, as well as making its removal difficult. It is, therefore, obvious that the ideal connector is one which will fit a variety of battery posts, make good contact, retain or assume its original shape, and is easy to remove. The present invention provides these characteristics through the novel construction presently described.

Looking at Figure 1, it will be seen that the cable half 2 of the connector is provided with a U-shaped reinforcing insert, referred to generally by the reference character I I, and composed of a hard, non-corrosive metal, such as stainless steel. The insert I I is cast in any suitable way in the halves I and 2, and one form may comprise a bar piece I2 having posts I3 and I 4 formed on the extremities thereof, each of said posts being hollow and provided with internal threads adapted to engage suitable threads formed on cap screws I5, also of stainless steel. The principal function of the insert is to reinforce the connector halves I and 2 so that they will possess a substantial degree of tension when clamped around the battery post.

The connector half I is provided with apertures IS in axial alignment with the recesses of the hollow posts l3 and I4 of the insert II; said apertures being unthreaded and merely hushed with suitable non-corrosive bushings I1 and IB, such as phenolite. It will be noted that the posts I3 and I4 are of unequal length, the post I3 extending flush with the face 5, and the post I4 ending below the face I, thus leaving a recess I9 formed above the end of said post l4 and opening onto the face 1. The lengths of the bushings I1 and I8 are such as to complement the lengths of the posts l3 and I4, i. e., the bushing II merely extends flush with the jaw face 4, and the bushing [8 projects beyond the jaw face 6 sufiiciently to bridge the gap between the faces 6 and I, and extend into the recess I9, when said jaw faces Ii and I are moved towards each other in tightening the connector on the battery post. This arrangement of the bushings is a feature in making the connector acid proof.

If desired, the insert II may be greatly simplified for the connector half I, as shown in Figure 1. The insert in this latter instance may comprise a fiat, relatively narrow piece II) of metal of a non-corrosive alloy, preferably stainless steel, imbedded lengthwise of the connector half. It is obvious that this form of insert makes it possible to simplify the whole clamping means for securing the connector to the battery post, and at the same time provides suflicient reinforcement, which is manifested by the connector halves substantially retaining their initial shapes, when the binding pressure is relieved, although the halves may be drawn tightly around the battery post.

A more rugged form of connector is disclosed in the modification illustrated in Figure 3. In this modification, each half of the connector is provided with inserts 25 and 29 that are generally similar to each other. The insert 25, which is cast in the half I, comprises a bar piece 28 having posts 26 and 21 provided with an opening throughout their lengths, and said opening is not threaded. The insert 29 has hollow posts 30 and 3| which are internally threaded.

It will be noted that the posts 30, 3| and 26,21 are of the same length but do not extend flush with the opposing faces 4, 5 and 6, I. The space above the ends of the posts is bored to a larger diameter than that of the posts 30, 3I and 2B, 21, and sleeve bushings 2| and 22 are inserted within the apertures thus formed. Since the opposing faces 4 and 5 of the connector halves I and 2 are designed to contact each other, the length of the bushing 2| may be substantially the combined length of the aligned apertures for accommodating the bushing 2I. On the other hand, there is a gap between the faces 6 and I, but the bushing 22 is shorter than the over-all length of the recesses in the faces 6 and 1. Consequently, when the bushing 22 is inserted, there is a space 23 left above the end of the bushing 22 which accommodates said bushing upon the closure of the gap between the faces 6 and I when the cap screws I5 are tightened.

It will be understood from the above description that the bushings 2I and 22 constitute protective means against corrosion for both the inserts 29 and 25; also for the cap screws I5. It will also be appreciated that the posts 26 and 21 of the insert 25, not being threaded, merely constitute journals for the cap screws l5 passing therethrough.

It is obvious from the foregoing description that in fastening the terminal connector to the battery post, the cap screws I5 are loosened sufficiently to permit the separation of the terminal jaws l and 2 so as to receive or enclose the battery post. When the battery post has been inserted within the socket formed by the connector halves, the cap screw I5 passing through the aligned openings of the connector faces 4 and 5 is first tightened in order to bring the faces 4 and 5 into tight contact with each other. The

cap screw I5 on the gap side of the connector is then tightened, thus drawing the faces 6 and 1 towards each other. This produces a binding pressure around the battery post on both sides of center, and insures good contact between the connector and the battery post. Since the connector halves I and 2 are composed of a pliable, non-corrosive metal, and since the reinforcing inserts are composed of a hard, non-corrosive metal; and further, since the cap screws for tightening the clamp are protected from corrosion by suitable bushings, the complete connector structure is made acid proof. At the same time, the connection halves are sufficiently resilient because of the reinforcing inserts as practically to resist serious deformation.

As previously stated, to obtain the most effective connector, it is a compromise between a construction employing soft pliable metals, which provide a wide fitting range with respect to the sizes of battery posts but possess objectionable features, and the use of hard, non-corrosive metals which allow but small tolerances in the diameter variations of the battery posts. The design of the present connector combines the best features of prior art connectors into a simple construction.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention are hereinbefore set forth, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction illustrated and described because various modifications of the details may be provided in putting the invention into practice within the purview of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A battery terminal connector, comprising a pair of coacting sections, each of said sections including a jaw member formed of soft, noncorrosive metal and having a semi-circular recess, a U-shaped reinforcing insert embedded in one of said jaw members and having a pair of hollow posts, a second U-shaped insert embedded in the other of the jaw members and having a pair of threaded sockets, said first-mentioned jaw member having recesses concentric with the adjacent hollow posts, said second-mentioned jaw member having recesses concentric with said threaded sockets and in alignment with said recesses in said first mentioned jaw member, a first bushing extending into one of said recesses in said first mentioned jaw member and extending into one of said recesses in said second mentioned jaw member, a second bushing extending into the other of the recesses in said first mentioned jaw member and extending into the other of the recesses in said second mentioned jaw member, and a pair of screws protruded through said posts and bushings and engageable in said threaded sockets.

2. A battery terminal connector comprising a pair of sections fabricated of soft metal arranged in face to face relation and the meeting face of each of said sections being provided with a recess conforming to the shape of a battery post; a hard metal insert embedded in each of said sections, said insert comprising a pair of spaced hollow posts; the adjacent ends of said posts being spaced from the meeting face of their respective sections and one pair of posts being internally threaded; each of said sections being provided with a pair of spaced apertures extending inwardly from the meeting face thereof; a pair of bushings projecting into the apertures in each of said sections and in communication with the adjacent ends of the adjacent posts; and a pair of threaded elements protruding through the other pair of posts and through said bushings and in threaded engagement with said one pair of posts.

3. A battery terminal connector comprising a pair of sections fabricated of soft metal arranged in face to face relation and the meeting face of each of said sections being provided with a recess conforming to the shape of a battery post; a hard metal insert embedded in each of said sections, said insert comprising a pair of spaced hollow posts; the adjacent ends of said posts being spaced from the meeting face of their respective sections and one pair of posts being internally threaded; each of said sections being provided with a pair of spaced apertures extending inwardly from the meeting face thereof; a pair of bushings projecting into the apertures in each of said sections and in communication with the adjacent ends of the adjacent posts; one of said bushings being shorter than the other; and a pair of threaded elements protruding through the other pair of posts and through said bushings and in threaded engagement with said one pair of posts.

4. A battery terminal connector comprising a pair of sections fabricated of soft metal arranged in face to face relation and the meeting face of each of said sections being provided with a recess to form a pair of projections and one of said projections being shorter than the other and the longer projections being in contacting relation with respect to each other and the shorter projections being spaced with respect to each other and said recesses conforming to the shape of a battery post; a hard metal insert embedded in each of said sections, said insert comprising a pair of spaced hollow posts extending into said projections; the adjacent ends of said posts being spaced from the meeting face of their respective sections and one pair of posts being internally threaded; each of said longer projections and each of said shorter projections being provided with an aperture extending inwardly from the meeting face of its respective section; a first bushing projecting into the apertures in said longer projections and in communication with the adjacent ends of the adjacent posts; a second bushing projecting into the apertures in said shorter projections and in communication with the adjacent ends of the adjacent posts; and a pair of threaded elements protruding through the other pair of posts and through said bushings and in threaded engagement with said one pair of posts; said bushings being adapted to prevent corrosion of said inserts and said pair of threaded elements.

ORRIN H. THOMAS. ROBERT ELTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,677,445 Hardos July 17, 1928 1,837,814 Grunwald Dec. 22, 1931 2,140,843 McGinnis et a1 Dec. 20, 1938 2,142,759 Plachy Jan. 3, 1939 2,176,060 Carlson Oct. 17, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 626,238 Germany Feb. 22, 1936 

